Fountain pen and the like



July 4, 1933. M. G. sYPHER FOUNTAIN PEN' AND THE LIKE Filed May 11, 1952ZVOI l INVENTOR- MII/fard Wj /Wffy/fff in lATTORNEY- Patented July 4,1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE MILFORD GUY SYPHER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHILTON PEN COMPANY, INC., F LONG ISLAND CITY,NEW YORK, .A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK FOUNTAIN PEN Application led Hay11,

The present invention relates to fountain pens and the like, and moreparticularly, to an improved pen' section and method of mak- 52(Fountain pens, mechanical pencils, and the like, which are constructedof brightly colored or decorated material have become very popular. Forthis reason, every effort has been made to develop celluloidcompositions and pyroxylin plastics to improve the appearance of thesearticles and to make them more attractive. At present, there 1s keencompetition among pen manufacturers to market the most artisticarticles, and in many instances, mechanical effectiveness is sacrificedfor appearance. An attractive article having an appearance which ispleasing to the prospective buyer is particularly important.

Where plastic compositions such as pyroxylin are utilized for the barrelportion of a pen, the pen section 0r gripping portion is at presentconstructed of hard rubber which is usually colored black. Hard rubberand other unattractive materials are generally used for pen sections,because pyroxylin plastics and the like, have a tendency to shrink afterformation. Shrinkage of the pen section would impair the flow of ink tothe pen point and eventually would impair the operation of the pen. Thecolor limitations of hard rubber are a handicap because hard rubbercannot be made to harmonize with many of the desirable color creationsapplicable to plastic compositions. The artistic appearance of anarticle made of pyroxylin is spoiled by making the pen section of adifferent material.

The present invention aims .to eliminate the above diiiiculties byproviding an improved pen section or similar article, having an outerportion of the same material as the barrel of the pen and an innerportion of substantially non-shrinkable material. In this manner, thecolor and material of the barrel can be readily matched withoutimpairing the mechanical effectiveness of the pen. The present inventionalso aims to provide a simple, inexpensive method for assembling theparts of the pen section. An object of the present invention is to pro-AND THE LIKE 1932. Serial No. 610,557.

vide a more attractive fountain pen or similar artlcle constructed of aplastic composition.

Another obJect of the invention is to provide a pen section adapted tomatch or blend with the design of the barrel portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attractive pen sectionwhich will not impair the operation of the pen.

Another o ject of the invention is to provide a pen section having aninner part of substantially non-shrinkable material, and an outer partof decorative material similar to the barrel of the pen secured upon theinner part.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensivemethod for making a pen section adapted to match the barrel of the pen.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method for making apen section having a pyroxylin outer surface wherein the shrinkage ofthe pyroxylin is utilized to assemble the parts of the pen section.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

lias been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and isshown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification,wherein Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a fountain pen showing apreferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the pen section shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a slightly different embodiment of thepresent invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating another embodiment; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the pensection.

Referring again to the drawing and more A preferred embodiment of theinvention dit particularly, to Figs. 1, 2'and 3, there is shown afountain pen comprising a substantially tubular barrel member 2 adaptedto receive suitable devices for lling the pen and a pen section orgripping portion 4r adapted to be attached to the barrel by screwthreads 5 or other suitable means in the inner'bore of the barrel.Threads 3 may also be provided on the outer periphery of the barrel forattaching a .cap portion thereto. 'llhe llirig devices and cap are notillustrated hereln since the present invention is not limited to anypartlcular type of lling mechanism. Preferably the barrel member2 isconstructed of a plastic composition such as, celluloid, pyroxylin, orthe like, which can be made in any desired color, shade, or decorativepattern, or the material may` be mottled4 or speckled asshown in thedrawing.

Heretofore, it has been customary to construct the pen section of hardrubber since the materials utilized for the barrel portion have atendency to shrink, and to prevent proper feeding of ink through the pensection. At the same time the necessary use of hard rubber or othernon-shrinkable material for the pen section made it impossible toprovide a fountain pen substantially of the same kind of material,particularly, when a decorative barrel portion was utilized. lln manyinstances, the hard rubber section spoiled the attractiveness of thepen. v

The present invention overcomes these ditliculties by providing a pensection having an outer part adapted to match the barrel and an innerpart of non-shrinkable material adapted to house the pen feed and toinsure proper feeding of ink to the pen point. 'llo accomplish this, asshown in the preferred embodiment, the pen section 4 comprises an innermember 6 of hard rubber or the like having a centrally disposed bore 7therein adapted to receive and support a feed bar 9 and a pen point 10at one end thereof. The other end of the member 6 is provided with anipple portion 11 for securing a suitable ink sac or fount 12 theretowhich is adapted to supply ink to the feed bar 9 through the aperture 7.

Preferably, a cylindrical portion 15 is provided terminating in asuitable shoulder 16 of a slightly larger diameter than the cylindricalportion 15. lln order to match the material-of the barrel 2, as shown inFig. 1, a tubular member 17 of like material, for example, pyroxylin ofthe same color orpattern, is telescoped about the cylindrical portion 15so that the lower end thereof abuts against, and is held in position bythe shoulder 16. Preferably, the outer surface of the tubular member istapered or slightly curved to facilitate gripping thereof. After theinner and outer members of the pen section have been assembled, thepyroxylin tubular member 17, by reason of its shrinkable Lerarescharacter, shrinks into engagement with the inner member whereby theparts of the pen section are securely held in position by friction. lfdesired, other means may be utilized for securin the two parts together,for example, a suita le adhesive may be used.

lin order to attach the pen section 4to the barrel portion 2. of thepen, if the two are not formed integral with each other, the outermember 17 is preferably provided with a reduced portion having suitablethreads 18 formed thereon, which are adapted tocooperate with thethreads '5 of the barrel portion. rllhe inner non-shrinkable sectionprevents material shrinkage of the threaded portion which might tend toloosen the threaded connection between the pen section and the barrel.

lin Fig. d a slightly dierent pen section -is shown, wherein the innermember 6 is provided with threads 19 or other suitable means adapted tocooperate with threads 5 or other means on the barrel 2 for securing thepen section thereto. 'llo match the material of the barrel, a tubularmember 20 of like material is telescoped about the inner member and isshrunk thereon. An important advantage of this modified construction isthat the outer member 20 is held securely on the Vinner member 6 notonly by reason of shrinkage, but also, by the lower ed e of the barreland the stop or shoulder 16. n this manner, when the pen section 4 isattached to the barrel, the inner member 6 and the outer member 20 aredefinitely held in position and relative movement therebetween isprevented.

Fig. 5 shows another form of pen section wherein an rinner member isprovided with a tapered portion 26, and a substantially cylindrical tube27 of shrinkable material, adapted to match the material of the barrel,

.is telescoped over the tapered portion and is thereafter reformedorpermitted to shrink on the tapered portion and to lock there with.

Fig. 6 illustrates interlocking projections on the inner and outermembers of the pen section to lock the parts in position. IThe outermember may be provided with an annular ridge or projection 29 adapted tofit into a recess 30, provided within the inner member 6. The outermember, composed of a plastic composition, when fresh, is substan'tially resilient. and can be readily forced about the inner member sothat the ridge 29 registers with the recess 30 to hold the partstemporarily in position. Upon curing, the outer .member shrinks, and theridge 29 is permanently locked within the recess. this manner, the partsmay be handled withlll@ out the danger of separation immediately afterthe pen sections are assembled.

lin making the constructions illustrated herein, the inner members arepreferably formed of hard rubber by molding or malchining them intotheir desired shape. The outer members for the pen sections are theneither molded or formed in any suitable manner from the same ki nd ofmaterial which is used for the barrel of the pen, for example, pyroxylinand the like. The outer members or tubular shells, which when freshlyformed have a tendency to shrink upon curing, are telesooped over theinner members. The assembled pen sections are then placed in a curingchamber until the pyroxylin outer shells have shrunk sufficiently tohold the parts of the pen section in assembled relation. After theremoval from the curing atmosphere, it has been found that the outermembers continuev to shrink gradually. This is very beneficial anddesirable since it increases the grip between the parts. It has alsobeen found that when maximumshrinkage has been attained, the parts areso rigidly ponnected that they cannot be separated. This result is verydesirable and advantageous since the p'en section has all the advantagesof an integral member, and in addition, the outer surface thereof isattractive and matches the barrel of the pen. Another advantage is thatthe present method can be practiced without the use of complicatedmachinery or difficult operations which would increase the cost of thepens or other ar ticles. The improved pen sections are therefore adaptedto be manufactured at minimum cost.

In assembling the present pen parts, the shrinkable sleeve of pyroxylinis placed upon the non-shrinkable portion of the pen section andpermitted to shrink thereon. Thereafter, the pen and pen nib areinserted in one ,end and an ink sac is secured to the other end. Asuitable barrel is telescoped over the ink sac and threaded onto thethreaded end of the pen section. Any suitable means may be utilized forcollapsing the ink sac to fill the pen; for example, that shown in myco-pend- ,ing application, Serial No. 585,192, filed January 7, 1932.

It Will be seen that the present invention provides a fountain penhaving an improved pen section which can be made ina simple andinexpensive manner. The pen section, or other parts of fountain pens orpencils, can be furnished in any desirable color or pattern whichmatches or harmonizes with the other parts of the article. In thismanner, more attractive pens or pencils can be provided since byutilizing pyroxylin plastics and the like, a wide range of patterns andcolors can be used. The pen sections shown herein are rugged inconstruction and are fully capable of withstanding the rough usage towhich they may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scopeof theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. As an article ofmanufacture, a pen section for fountain pens and the like, comprisingthe combination of an inner member made of substantially non-shrinkablematerial, and an outer member of shrinkable material, fitting about saidinner member.

2. As an article of manufacture, a pen section for fountain pens and thelike, comprising the combination of an inner member of hard rubber, andan'outer member of thermo-plastic material of a different colorextending about a portion of said inner member.

3. As an article of manufacture, a pen section for fountain pens and thelike, comprising an inner member of hard rubber and an outer member ofpyroxylin material forming in effect, an integral pen section.

4. In a fountain pen and the like, the combination of a barrel member ofthermo-plastic material, an inner member attached to said barrel memberadapted to receive and support writing means, and an outer member of thesame material as said barrel fitting about said inner member.

5. A pen section for fountain pens and the like, comprising an innermember, a tubular member of a material subject to variations in sizesuch as pyroxylin fitting about a portion of said inner member, andmeans for securing said tubular member to said inner member.

6. A pen section for fountain pens and the like, comprising a member ofsubstantiallyV non-shrinkable material having a recess therein, a sleeveof pyroxylin material telescoped about a portion of said first member,said sleeve being shrunk into engagement with said first member, and aprojection on said sleeve extending into said recess on said firstmember.

7. A pen section for fountain pens and the like, comprising an innermember of hard rubber having a threaded portion for attaching the pensection to a barrel member, a sleeve member of pyroxylin materialfitting about said inner member, and a shoulder at one end of said innermember for positioning said sleeve.

8. A pen section for fountain pens and the like, comprising an innermember of substantially non-shrinkable material, and an outer member ofthermo-plastic material {itting about said inner member, said outermember having a threaded portion substantially at one end thereof forconnecting said pen section to a barrel member.

9. In a fountain pen or the like, the combination of a pyroxylin barrel,a pen supporting member, a tubular member of pyroxyllin material shrunkinto engagement with said pen supporting member and means on said barreland said tubular member for a tachin said tubular member to said barrel.

10. n a fountain pen and the like, the combination of a pyroxylin barrelmember having a threaded portion'at one end thereof, a pen supportingmember, and a tubular member of pyroxylin material shrunk intoengagement with said pen supporting member, said tubular member having athreaded portion for engaging said barrel member to attach said pensupporting member.

11. ln' a fountain pen or the like, the combination of a barrel ofpyroXylin material,

a pen supporting member attached to saidbarrel member, an' ink sacsecured to one end of said member, Writing means operatively connectedto the other end of said member, and a tubular member fitting about saidfirst member, said tubular member being of the same material as saidbarrel, and shrunk into engagement with said irst member.

12. The method of making a section for fountain pens, pencils and thelike, which method comprises placing a member of shrinkablethermo-plastic material about an inner member, and permitting said firstmember to shrink into engagement With said second member.

13. 'lhe method of making a pen section for fountain pens and the like,which method comprises placing a tubular member of pyroxylin material,and the like, about an inner member of hard rubber, and shrinking saidfirst member to securely engage said second member. l

101. The method of maMng pen sections tor fountain pens and the like,which method comprises forming a tubular gripping memmerz/,rea

`ber on? pyroxylin material, inserting a pen supporting member Withinsaid tubular member, and permitting said tubular member t0 contract andsecurely engage said pen supporting memberl whereby, said members areassemb ed as a unit.

15. The method of forming a pen receiving section for fountain pens,which method comprises placing a member of shrinkable thermo-plasticmaterial, such as pyroxylin,

about an inner pen receiving member of substantlally non-shrinkablematerial such as hard rubber, and permitting said first member to shrinkinto secure engagement with said second member.

16. 1n a fountain pen and the like, the comblnatlon of an inner memberof substantially non-shrinkable material adapted to receive a pen andfeedV bar, and an outer member of shrinkable material in permanentengagement therewith.

17. lin a fountain pen and the like, the combination of an inner memberof substantially non-shrinkable material adapted to receive a pen andfeed bar, a pen and eed bar Sil mounted Within said inner member, andank MlLFORD GUY SYPMR.

